Hogs Stay Focused on Preparation for Ole Miss

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Razorback football team continued its preparation for Saturday’s conference game with the Rebels of Ole Miss with a 90-minute practice Wednesday. Head coach Houston Nutt was again pleased with the Hogs’ focus during the workout.

“I thought our guys came out again with an excellent frame of mind and with a great attitude,” Nutt said.

The Arkansas offense worked on dealing with the defensive rush that Nutt said his team should expect from Mississippi defensive coordinator, John Thompson. The Razorbacks’ head coach said the players did a good job of picking up the various blitzes working against the scout team.

“John Thompson worked for me here and has been on the Arkansas staff,” Nutt said. “He likes to blitz and bring different types of blitzes, so we really had to work hard on that today.”

On a day the head coach said quarterback Casey Dick threw the ball well, he was also glad to see the progress made by Marcus Monk. Though the senior receiver is not 100%, Nutt said Monk can still help contribute for Arkansas.

“It was good to see Marcus out here,” Nutt said. “He got a little bit more (work) than yesterday, he did some one-on-one. That was very encouraging.”

Robert Johnson did not practice Wednesday as he continues to deal with an injured ankle. Nutt said the day off for the receiver is just a precautionary measure to make sure Johnson is ready Saturday.

“(Robert) is awfully sore and limping around, so we thought we’d give him the day off,” Nutt said. “He’s going to go. We have to have his leadership. He’s great on the sidelines and he’s into the game on every snap. He’s helped us a great deal.”

The Hogs will hit the practice fields for the final time Thursday to close out their game-week preparations for Ole Miss. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. Log on to www.hogwired.com for continued coverage of Arkansas football.